Jonah Patel
The French Directory, or Directorate, was the government of France from 2 November 1795 until 9 November 1799. It was established after the Constitution of Year III, which was adopted by referendum on 24 September 1795. The new constitution sought to create a separation of powers, with a bicameral legislature consisting of the Council of Five Hundred (the lower house) and the Council of Ancients (the upper house). The Directory was inaugurated on 2 November 1795 and governed France for four turbulent years, facing opposition from both left-wing Jacobins and conservative Royalists.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year of adoption | 1795 |
| Date of adoption | 22 August 1795 |
| Date of referendum | 24 September 1795 |
| Date of first elections | 12-21 October 1795 |
| Date of inauguration | 2 November 1795 |
| Number of articles | 377 |
| Number of deputies to be elected | 250 |
| Number of old Convention members to remain | 500 |
| Number of voters | 1,057,390 approved, 49,978 opposed |
| Number of Councils | 2 |
| Number of Directors | 5 |
| Minimum age of Directors | 40 |
| Number of members of new legislature | 379 |
| Minimum age of voters | 21 |
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What You'll Learn
The French Directory
The new constitution established a legislature with two houses: the Council of Five Hundred and the Council of Ancients. The Council of Five Hundred was responsible for proposing new laws, while the Council of Ancients had the authority to approve or veto these proposals. The members of these councils were elected by the citizens. The constitution also established a unique kind of executive, a five-member committee known as the Directory. The Directory was chosen by the legislature and held executive power.
The Directory was unpopular and faced economic crises and social unrest. It was ultimately toppled in the Coup of 18 Brumaire on 9 November 1799, which installed the Consulate and effectively led to Napoleon Bonaparte's dictatorship.
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Constitution of Year III
The Constitution of Year III, also known as the French Constitution of 1795, was adopted on 22 August 1795 and was formally established on 2 November 1795. The constitution was created in response to the chaotic and bloody Reign of Terror (1793-94) and aimed to restore stability to France by returning to the original revolutionary principles of 1789.
The Constitution of Year III was a lengthy document, consisting of 377 articles, compared to 124 in the first French Constitution of 1793. It established a bicameral legislature, comprising the Council of Five Hundred (the lower house) and the Council of Ancients (the upper house). The Council of Five Hundred was responsible for proposing legislation, while the Council of Ancients reviewed and approved it. The constitution also established a unique executive, a five-man Directory, chosen by the legislature. The Directors had no power over legislation or taxation, and neither they nor the Ministers could sit in either house.
The Constitution of Year III sought to create a separation of powers, but in reality, power was concentrated in the hands of the five members of the Directory. To ensure some independence, each Director was elected by a different portion of the legislature, and they could not be removed unless they broke the law. The Directors were required to be at least forty years old, and one Director, chosen by lot, was replaced each year to ensure gradual but continuous change.
The Constitution of Year III was less democratic than its Jacobin predecessor, restricting the voting pool to male taxpayers over the age of 21 who met certain property and residency standards. This change reduced the number of eligible voters from approximately 6 million to 1 million. Additionally, the constitution replaced the 48 districts of Paris, known for insurrectionary activity, with 12 arrondissements to promote stability.
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Separation of powers
The French Directory, or Directorate, was the government of France from 2 November 1795 until 9 November 1799. It was established after the Constitution of Year III, which was formally adopted on 22 August 1795 and ratified by referendum on 24 September 1795. The new constitution sought to create a separation of powers, with the Council of Five Hundred (the lower house) proposing a list of candidates for the Directory, from which the Council of Ancients (the upper house) chose five directors who jointly held executive power.
The Directors had no voice in legislation or taxation, and neither the Directors nor the Ministers could sit in either house. However, in reality, power was concentrated in the hands of the five members of the Directory. The new constitution also replaced universal male suffrage with limited suffrage based on property, and it required that Directors be at least forty years old.
The Directory was an unstable period in French history, marked by economic crises and social unrest. It faced opposition from both the left-wing Jacobins and the conservative Royalists, who both attempted to seize control of the government. The Directory reacted to a Royalist victory in the 1797 elections by purging the winners and keeping its old leaders in power. This rejection of democratic elections further weakened the Directory's position.
The Directory was ultimately toppled in the Coup of 18 Brumaire on 9 November 1799, bringing an end to the French Revolution (1789-1799).
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Council of Ancients
The French Directory, or Directorate, was the government of France from 2 November 1795 until 9 November 1799. It was established after the adoption of the Constitution of Year III (also known as the Constitution of 1795) on 24 September 1795. The Constitution created a bicameral legislature consisting of two houses: the Council of Five Hundred (the lower house) and the Council of Ancients (the upper house).
The Council of Ancients was an upper house containing 250 men over the age of 40. They were responsible for reviewing and approving legislation drafted by the Council of Five Hundred. The Council of Ancients could not initiate new laws but could veto those proposed by the Council of Five Hundred. The members of this legislature had a term of three years, with one-third of the members renewed every year.
The Council of Ancients played a crucial role in selecting the executive branch of the government, known as the Directory. The Council of Five Hundred first prepared a list of candidates for the Directory by secret ballot. From this list, the Council of Ancients then chose, again by secret ballot, five directors who jointly held executive power. These directors were required to be at least forty years old, and one director, chosen by lot, was replaced each year to ensure gradual but continual change.
The French Directory was a tumultuous period in French history, facing opposition from both the left-wing Jacobins and conservative Royalists. It was ultimately toppled in the Coup of 18 Brumaire on 9 November 1799, bringing an end to the French Revolution that had begun in 1789.
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Council of Five Hundred
The Council of Five Hundred was the lower house of the Corps Législatif, the legislative body established by France's Constitution of 1795 (Year III of the French Revolution). It was composed of 500 delegates who were elected by limited, indirect suffrage. The Council of Five Hundred was responsible for initiating legislation, which the upper house, the Council of Ancients, could accept or reject. The Council of Five Hundred also provided the upper house with a list of candidates from which the five members of the Directory—the executive branch—were chosen.
The Council of Five Hundred was established after the Constitution of Year III was adopted by a referendum on 24 September 1795. The new constitution was presented to the Convention and debated between 4 July and 17 August 1795, and was formally adopted on 22 August 1795. It was a lengthy document, with 377 articles, compared to 124 in the first French Constitution of 1793. The constitution outlined the process by which delegates would be elected to the legislature. It mandated that citizens meet in assemblies in each canton to choose a group of electors who were required to be at least 25 years old, own or rent property, and pay a substantial level of taxes.
The Council of Five Hundred was governed from 1795 to 1799, during the period known as the Directory. In the April 1797 elections, royalists won a significant number of seats in the Council of Five Hundred, and Charles Pichegru, an ally of the rightists, was chosen as president of the body. The more-centrist republicans responded to the threat of a rightward turn in government with the Coup of 18 Fructidor, in which two members of the Directory and more than 50 royalist members of the legislature were expelled with the help of the army. In the election of 1798, left-wing candidates made gains, and on 18 June 1799, the Council of Five Hundred and the Council of Ancients forced the resignations of the most anti-Jacobin Directors in the so-called 'Coup of 30 Prairial VII'.
In October 1799, Lucien Bonaparte, the younger brother of Napoleon, was elected president of the Council of Five Hundred. Soon after, Napoleon led a group of grenadiers who drove the council from its chambers and installed himself as the leader of France as its First Consul. The Council of Five Hundred was dissolved in a coup in 1799 that effectively ended the French Revolution.
In Ancient Greece, there was also a Council of Five Hundred in Athens. It was a deliberative council composed of representatives chosen by lot to represent the citizens of the city-state. It was established after the reforms of Cleisthenes, which are regarded as the foundation of Athenian democracy. Each of Cleisthenes' ten tribes was provided with 50 councillors who were at least 30 years old, with a certain number of councillors allotted to each deme or rural district in proportion to its size. The most important task of the Council was to draft the deliberations for discussion and approval in the Ecclesia or Assembly of citizens.
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Frequently asked questions
1795.
The Constitution of Year III.
The Constitution of Year III created a bicameral legislature consisting of the Council of Five Hundred (lower house) and the Council of Ancients (upper house). The new constitution sought to create a separation of powers, with executive power in the hands of five Directors, chosen by the Council of Ancients from a list provided by the lower house.
